Mike Figliuolo – Page 20 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

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Entries by Mike Figliuolo

How willing are you to make sacrifices for your team?

September 14, 2017 /1 Comment/in Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How willing are you to make sacrifices for your team? – Very — They get everything I have regardless of the cost to me: 23% – Mostly — I’ll make sacrifices for them up to a point: 68% – Kind of — I’ll make a sacrifice if it isn’t too painful: 5% – Not very — I’ll make sacrifices in rare instances: 1% – Not at all — I don’t get paid enough to make sacrifices: 3% Leaders sacrifice… to a point. The vast majority of you put yourselves out there for your teams. We love our people, right? Nothing we wouldn’t do for them! All around us are role models for sacrifice. We aspire to be that leader who gives their all for the team. Just be careful – remember your organization doesn’t love you as much as you love it. Your sacrifices can take a toll on your health and require extraordinary resilience on your part. If your sacrifices aren’t appreciated, you run the risk of being resentful. I’m not saying not to make sacrifices. I’m simply encouraging you to be mindful of the consequences of those choices. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

What it Really Takes to Run Your Own Firm

September 13, 2017 /1 Comment/in Career, Entrepreneur, Leadership, Sales, Strategy, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

People tell me all the time “I want to do what you do.” They have some glorified vision of what it means to be an entrepreneur. The day to day grittiness of it is something that few understand. Here’s a view into that day to day. Entrepreneurship is a great life – as long as you’re prepared for what that means. Running your own firm isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The day to day activities are the ones few people understand or appreciate. Add to that the complexity of running as simple a business as possible and you can have a real nightmare on your hands if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. Recently I had occasion to speak with Will Bachman, the founder and Managing Partner at Umbrex about what it takes to run a successful training firm. I guess I’m allowed to declare my firm as being successful considering we just celebrated our 13th birthday and we continue to grow every year. We discussed my experience as an entrepreneur covering topics ranging from getting your business model right, dealing with clients, and making sure you’re taking care of yourself so you don’t run yourself into the ground. Listen to the podcast here:

This Hidden Enemy is Making Your Job Harder than Necessary

September 11, 2017 /2 Comments/in Books, Career, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

We can be victims of our own thoughts holding us back. False equivalencies limit our beliefs and can turn our greatest strengths into barriers and limitations. Today’s post is by Elizabeth B. Crook, author of Live Large: The Achiever’s Guide to What’s Next (CLICK HERE to get your copy). As a business leader, you know the challenges of managing cash flow, dealing with personal issues or handling a customer who is dissatisfied – all problems we sign up for as leaders. Yet in my work as a business strategist for twenty-five years, there is an issue more common and potentially disabling to leaders than any of the above – limiting beliefs. Back in the 50s Walt Kelly, creator of the comic strip character Pogo, expressed it best, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” One way limiting beliefs show up in our lives is in the form of false equivalencies. False equivalencies are defined by the belief that doing something or not doing something will make us “good” or “bad.” Here are three common ones – you might recognize in yourself – I know I did! Abandoning a project/goal/position = being a quitter Tolerating unacceptable conditions = being patient Taking time off/resting = being lazy False equivalencies can keep us trapped in situations, limiting our options. Mark, a CEO of a rapidly growing manufacturing company, came to me for some “next step” work when his company was going through a growing phase. He had a loyal team who had been with him since the company’s formative years, yet he was resisting trimming out the staffers who weren’t able to grow with the company and adding more experienced management to his team. Puzzled at first, I recalled Mark’s telling me about the early years. “We had an investor, who […]

Are you exploratory or hypothesis-driven when you solve problems?

September 7, 2017 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: When solving problems, are you exploratory or hypothesis-driven in your search for answers? – I explore broadly to try to find the best answer: 70% – I’m hypothesis-driven so I can get an answer quickly: 30% Exploring instead of driving. Clearly folks have a bias toward exploring and finding the “best” answer. This approach is dangerous. First, it can be time and resource intensive. Last I checked, time and resources are scarce commodities. Second, while you’re looking for the “best” answer, the world is changing and new variables enter the equation so by the time you get to “best” it’s not relevant anymore and you have to find a new answer. This gets you in an endless loop of doing analysis instead of executing ideas. Consider a hypothesis-driven approach. Take an educated guess at the answer. Prove or disprove the hypothesis quickly. If you’re right, execute. If wrong, move to the next idea and repeat the process. You’ll get more done in shorter periods of time. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

Being an Authentic Leader Versus Just Being Different

September 6, 2017 /2 Comments/in Communications, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Authenticity isn’t difficult – just be yourself. Aha! Now that can be difficult. Authenticity requires us to make ourselves vulnerable. To share what makes us who we really are. While that may be scary, you’ll find the benefits of that vulnerability are immeasurable. We sometimes mistake being different for being authentic. Being different is fine as long as it’s for the right reasons. If you’re being different for the sake of being different but not being true self in the process, you’ve failed to achieve authenticity. People can see right through it. Recently I had the opportunity to discuss authenticity with Jamie Newman at Your Best Manager. We got together on his podcast to discuss the thought of authenticity, what it means, how to achieve it, and mistakes you can make in the pursuit of it. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and hope you do too. I encourage you to consider what makes you authentic. What makes you, well… YOU! Listen to the podcast here:

Five Actions You Can Take to Enhance Employee Engagement

September 4, 2017 /0 Comments/in Books, Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

If you want more engaged employees, start from day one with their onboarding, meet their needs on flexibility, and treat them with dignity – always. Today’s post is by Cornelia Gamlem and Barbara Mitchell, authors of The Big Book of HR (CLICK HERE to get your copy). In today’s competitive environment, leaders want to make sure they are doing all that they can to engage and retain their employees. Think of the time, effort and money the organization has put into recruiting and hiring great talent. These are five actions leaders can take to support employee engagement: Onboarding new employees A well-crafted onboarding process is the first step toward engaging and retaining your new hires. It should start when the candidate accepts the job offer. Use this time between acceptance and start date to communicate with new hires. Email them welcome messages and things they need to know: arrival time, where to park, whom to ask for when they arrive, and a schedule of the first day’s activities. Have their workspace ready with all the tools and equipment they’ll need. Leave your schedule free to spend as much time as possible with them. Introduce them to other team members and the leadership team. Discuss the organization’s history, vision, values and mission. Build in checkpoints to follow up at 30-60-90 days following their start date. Onboarding is all about making new hires feel as welcome and become as productive as possible. It takes some work, but the payoff can be huge. Flexibility A culture that encourages balance between personal and business obligations is an advantage in attracting and retaining the best employees. The prevalence of flexible work arrangements – flextime, telework – continues in order to meet the needs of today’s changing workforce. Advances in technology, especially the introduction of mobile […]

How well do you challenge assumptions when problem-solving?

August 31, 2017 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How well do you challenge assumptions when problem-solving? – Very — I make sure all assumptions are explicit and understand their impact: 43% – Mostly — I’ll accept some assumptions at face value: 54% – Not very — I take assumptions at face value and often fail to challenge them: 3% – Not at all — Assumptions are there to save time. I don’t question them: 1% Assume Nothing. Assumptions can be a great shortcut. They save time. They eliminate unnecessary analysis. They can also be dangerous. Get a major assumption even a little bit wrong (or a minor assumption very wrong) and your entire plan can crumble. When crafting assumptions and deciding whether or not to validate them, use others as a sounding board. You might be bringing unconscious bias into the situation. That bias can lead you to overestimate your knowledge of the situation as well as get you to view your assumption too optimistically. Oftentimes it’s that “face value” assumption we blindly accept that proves to be our undoing. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

Breaking Out of Silos to Operate in the Matrix

August 30, 2017 /2 Comments/in Communications, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

We’re increasingly asked to operate in complex matrix environments but face the challenge of breaking down the silos. It takes a different approach to communication if you want to work in the matrix instead of being stuck in a silo. The more complex our organizations get, the more dependent we are upon one another to get our work done. The challenge arises when people operate in silos in order to retain control over their domain. Silos and the matrix cannot coexist peacefully. I recently spoke with my good friends Jan Rutherford and Jim Vaselopulos of The Leadership Podcast and discussed the challenges of breaking down silos and improving communications. The format for this particular podcast was a little different – it was less of an interview and more of an open conversation like you’d overhear three guys having over a coffee (or, in my case, green tea on account of my heart attacks). Give the podcast a listen while you sip your coffee this morning. I’m hopeful it will change the way you look at working in a matrixed environment and breaking down silos. You can listen to the podcast by CLICKING HERE. If you enjoyed that podcast, here are two more I recorded with Jan and Jim previously. Enjoy!

3 Steps to Train Your Brain to Become a Smarter, Happier Leader

August 28, 2017 /1 Comment/in Balanced Lifestyle, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

It’s possible to be a smarter, happier, healthier leader. To be one requires regular training of your brain to react differently to the world around you. Today’s post is by Amy Blankson, author of The Future of Happiness (CLICK HERE to get your copy). As business leaders and effective communicators, it is our job to make sure that business objectives are being met, customers are happy, and employee morale is high. But if we as leaders don’t feel happy or optimistic in our work, how are we supposed to ensure that those around us stay positive? When you say a command to a pet that has not been trained to respond to that command, you can’t be upset that the pet did not respond with the desired behavior. The same goes for our own brains. If your brain has never been trained to adopt an optimistic mindset, to empathize with others or to seek positive change, you can’t expect others to respond in kind. According to a recent study found in Shawn Achor’s “The Happiness Advantage,” a positive and engaged brain is 31 percent more productive, three times more creative, and ten times more engaged. Therefore, it makes sense from both a personal as well as from a business perspective to train your brain to be happier. Here are three steps you can follow to make that happen: 1. Develop an optimistic mindset This may sound like a daunting task, but just like a child or a pet, your brain will not be trained overnight. Training our brains is a lifelong habit we can improve in just a few minutes each day. In order for us to be happier leaders, we must adopt happier mindsets. A 2015 study of mindfulness in the workplace found that the ability to step back […]

How comfortable are you with giving critical feedback?

August 24, 2017 /0 Comments/in Career, Communications, Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How comfortable are you with giving critical feedback? – Very — I have no problem delivering tough messages: 26% – Mostly — I’m good at it except in a few situations: 49% – Not very — I find it tough to deliver critical feedback: 22% – Not at all — I struggle with delivering tough messages: 3% Tough messages are tough. The majority of you are okay with delivering critical feedback which is great. The question is whether that feedback is well received or effective at changing behavior. By using a feedback model that separates fact and emotion, you can more effectively deal with observable behaviors and what needs to change rather than entering an emotionally heated exchange. Focus on the actual events and make sure you’re asking for a clear behavior change. When you do so, the odds of seeing the changes you desire go up tremendously and you keep your relationship with the feedback recipient intact. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

You Wouldn’t Fly with a B Player Pilot so Why Have One on Your Team?

August 21, 2017 /2 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

While we all want teams full of “A Players” we seem to be saddled with lots of B and C players. Instead of resigning yourself to that fate of mediocrity, be more demanding and fill your roster with A Players instead. Today’s post is by Rick Crossland, author of The A Player (CLICK HERE to get your copy). In many businesses, managers are often resigned to the thought that having B and C Players on the team is just the way things are. The B and C players are meant to round out the team, and not everyone can be an A Player, right? Besides, isn’t it impossible to find all A Players anyway? Well not so fast on throwing in the towel and tolerating B and C Players on your team! Let’s look at it this way: would you want a B or C Player surgeon performing your next surgery? Didn’t think so! How about a B or C Player piloting your next trip? No way! The point is, when the situation is critical or life threatening, we demand that A Players are doing the work. Why then do companies tolerate B and C players on their teams? Isn’t the work they do for your customers critical as well? Leadership begins with the role of building a team to make the business thrive. When looking for team members, each company needs to establish their own set of qualifications and expectations that define the A Player in its industry. Upon deciding who to add to their team, leaders need to select only candidates that meet these criteria. The question is: are you actually settling for B and C Players in the rush to fill a role? The key to having an awesome team is defining A Player performance and demanding […]

Which analytical challenge does your organization predominately face?

August 17, 2017 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: Which analytical challenge does your organization predominately face? – Analysis paralysis — We never stop running the numbers: 38% – Weak analysis — We draw conclusions based on limited data: 35% – Confirmation bias — We only look at data that support our idea: 20% – No challenges — We’re great at analysis: 8% Paralysis and Weakness Dominate Analysis. It seems folks are on both ends of the spectrum. They’re either doing too much analysis and being paralyzed in the process or they’re not doing enough analysis and are making decisions based on weak fact sets. There are ways to break out of these dynamics. Taking a hypothesis-based approach to problem solving and making recommendations can help you focus on the necessary analysis required to prove your case. This approach stops analysis paralysis because it focuses your work on the most important analyses. The approach also ensures rigor because it points out what analyses are required for making a decision. The next time you go to solve a problem, try a hypothesis-based approach to how you conduct analysis. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!